Next.js Deep Dive: Understanding the Framework

After building my portfolio with Next.js, I wanted to understand the framework better. What makes it special? How does it work under the hood?

Static Generation vs Server-Side Rendering

One of the first things I learned was the difference between static generation and server-side rendering:

• Static Generation: Pages are built at build time
• Server-Side Rendering: Pages are generated on each request

For my blog, static generation made perfect sense. All the content is known at build time, so why generate it on every request?

The App Router

Next.js 13+ introduced the App Router, which changed how I structure my projects:

app/
  layout.tsx
  page.tsx
  [slug]/
    page.tsx

This file-based routing is intuitive and powerful.

Server Components

Server Components were a game-changer. Being able to fetch data directly in components without client-side JavaScript was revolutionary:

// This runs on the server
export default async function Page() {
  const data = await fetch('...');
  return <div>{data}</div>;
}

Image Optimization

Next.js Image component handles optimization automatically:

import Image from 'next/image';

<Image
  src="/photo.jpg"
  alt="Description"
  width={800}
  height={600}
/>

This was a huge performance win.

Metadata API

The new Metadata API makes SEO much easier:

export const metadata = {
  title: 'My Page',
  description: 'Page description',
};

What I Learned

1. Static generation is powerful: For content sites, it's often the best choice
2. File-based routing is intuitive: It makes project structure clear
3. Performance matters: Next.js optimizations make a real difference

Moving Forward

Understanding Next.js deeply has made me a better developer. I can make informed decisions about when to use static generation, when to use SSR, and how to structure my projects for maximum performance and developer experience.

This framework has become my go-to for building web applications, and I'm excited to continue exploring its capabilities.